The 2011 Tour de France is officially set to head into the Alps and Santa Rosa-based BMC Racing is in prime position to make a run at the yellow jersey. While Thor Hushovd pulled off the stage victory, Cadel Evans had the best day amongst the general classification contenders. Evans finished 4:23 back of Hushovd but he finished 21 seconds ahead of Thomas Voeckler and Frank Schleck, and 1:09 ahead of fourth place Andy Schleck. This moves Evans into second place, 1:45 back of first.
Alberto Contador made the first attack on the final mountain before Gap and took a solid lead. However, Evans made his move on the descent from Col de Manse and was able to capture a lead over the rest of the general classification. He wasn't able to secure the yellow jersey on Tuesday, but he is in good shape heading into the Alps.
Here is a rundown of the top ten in the overall standings heading into the Alps:
| Stnd | Rider | Rider # | Team | Time | Gaps |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. |
 VOECKLER Thomas |
181 | TEAM EUROPCAR | 69h 00' 56" | |
| 2. |
 EVANS Cadel |
141 | BMC RACING TEAM | 69h 02' 41" | + 01' 45" |
| 3. |
 SCHLECK Frank |
18 | TEAM LEOPARD-TREK | 69h 02' 45" | + 01' 49" |
| 4. |
SCHLECK Andy |
11 | TEAM LEOPARD-TREK | 69h 03' 59" | + 03' 03" |
| 5. |
 SANCHEZ Samuel |
21 | EUSKALTEL - EUSKADI | 69h 04' 22" | + 03' 26" |
| 6. |
CONTADOR Alberto |
1 | SAXO BANK SUNGARD | 69h 04' 38" | + 03' 42" |
| 7. |
 BASSO Ivan |
91 | LIQUIGAS-CANNONDALE | 69h 04' 45" | + 03' 49" |
| 8. |
CUNEGO Damiano |
161 | LAMPRE - ISD | 69h 04' 57" | + 04' 01" |
| 9. |
 DANIELSON Tom |
52 | TEAM GARMIN - CERVELO | 69h 07' 00" | + 06' 04" |
| 10. |
 URAN Rigoberto |
118 | SKY PROCYCLING | 69h 08' 51" | + 07' 55" |
We'll be here for the entire race providing news updates and stage previews and recaps, particularly as they relate to Bay Area cyclist Levi Leipheimer and Bay Area-based BMC Racing. For more in-depth discussion on the 2011 Tour De France, head over to Podium Cafe. For more general Tour coverage, head over to the SB Nation story stream.